Will 2019 be a better year for Endumeni Council? The ERA certainly hopes so…

FC Bester, chairman of the Endumeni Residents Association, is hopeful that 2019 will bring about ‘a steadying of the ship’.
The year ended with President Ramaphosa announcing that the Special Investigations Unit will be probing charges of corruption in the municipality.
It is understood that Thabani Molotshwa, who was voted in as Mayor, on the back of support from the ANC, has been suspended by the IFP and Deputy Mayor Mdluli is filling the Mayor’s role. Despite these new challenges, Mr Bester said he and his Association are upbeat following a meeting
with Council Speaker, Lucky Khumalo, of the ANC.
“It was refreshing to have an open discussion with the Speaker – something that was seriously lacking in the previous Council. It has been
reported that reports from the Auditor General’s office are still outstanding and the probe into corruption in the municipality – via the Section 106 order – has seen several municipal officials implicated and suspended.”
Mr Bester said he had been told – and the former Mayor Mbatha had confirmed – that a skills audit of staff had been done but the results still have to be released. Mr Bester was critical of the previous co-governance Council which he said was compromised by local politicians ‘having to listen to political
offices in Pretoria and Durban’.

Look at the goods sheds at the old Dundee Railway Station going to ruin when these can be transformed into small businesses and boost our economy.”

“People who have never lived in Endumeni make decisions which affect all residents.” He said Speaker Khumalo had agreed that also outstanding
was the report on the trip logbook of the old Mayoral car, the Ford Everest. While commenting that things are now slightly more positive’, Mr Bester said there were still many concerns. “These include the lack of investment in Endumeni where they are so many vacant industrial plots. Where
are the visionaries?
Look at the goods sheds at the old Dundee Railway Station going to ruin when these can be transformed into small businesses and boost our economy.”
He said he was planning a major conference in February where all businessmen and women should come together, with Councillors and municipal
officials, to structure a way forward to pick up the economy.
“We are glad the Council has now agreed to finally re-look at business rates which in 2017 went up, in some cases, by over 140% which has been
very burdensome. There was a resolution to re-look at the rates structure back then but again, nothing happened.”
Look at the goods sheds at the old Dundee Railway Station going to ruin when these can be transformed into small businesses and boost our economy.”The park parties are always in the news. There are also
people operating transport and other businesses in the residential areas which are illegal. The laws must be implemented and right now there is too much buck-passing.”
Despite these challenges, Mr Bester said a better Endumeni can be created if ‘everyone in the community can come together and make a
real, positive difference.’’

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